Door-latch.



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Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

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GEORGE W. WELLS, OF AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF WALKER-WELLS COMPANY, OF AMESBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

Application tiled January 29, 1917. SerialiNo. 145,174.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WELLS,

, a citizen of the United States, resident of Amesbury, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Door-Latches; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specilication.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the invention as applied on the line 1-1, Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on the line 2-2, Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

The invention has relation to door latches, designed particularly for open-body or touring cars and having for its object certain improvements upon the device of thc Patent No. 1,181,498, dated May 23, 1916, and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrat ing the invention, the numeral 2 designates the bolt, pivoted at one side thereof at 3 to the door t and having an outwardly projecting portion provided with a flat face 5 and a beveled face 6, cooperating, inthe projected position of the bolt, with a keeper spring 7 upon the door casing or jamb, said spring being usually of strap metal and having a fiat face S and a beveled tace 9, forming a recess and engaging respectively the flat and beveled faces of said bolt.

The bolt is held rigidly in projected position by norm-all)v alined 'toggle levers 10 and 11, pivoted together, at 12` the lever 10 being pivoted to the bolt at 13, at one side of the. pivot 3, and the lever 11 being pivoted to the door at 14. a spring 15 serving to hold said bolt vieldably in projected position when the toggle is broken. and to return the toggle levers to normal alined position when the open door is closed.

Preferably, the toggle lever 10 is longer than the lever 11, and made of strap metal, with an eye 10 at each end thereof, the lever` 11 being made of two parallel portions, spaced apart and having a transverse connection 11, the spring 15 being coiled around the ends of the pivot 11, having stop engagement at its free ends against the door and at its middle portion passing across the connection 11 and embracing the lever 11.

In order to initially break or bow the toggle, to release the bolt and enable it to be retracted by pressure ot' the door when opened, an upright rod 15 has at its lower end a fulcrum bearing within a perforation 16 of a plate 1T, and at its upper end an operative connection 18 with a push button 19, seated in a. lateral recess 20 oi the door and movable laterall to press the upper end of said rod inwar ly, upon its lower fulcrum as a center` to exert a lateral pres sure upon .the toggle levers near the joint thereof.

The connection 18 is preferably a metal strap, screwed fast at 21 to the back of the push button and having at its upper end a pivotal connection 22 with a member 23, screwed to the door, said strap having at its lower end an eye or loop 21, engaged by a lateral bend 25 of the upper end of the rod. The plate 17 is usually the bottom plate of is; :asing 24 for the toggle levers and latch The push button being pressed inwardly, the rod 15 is moved as stated, and the toggle slightly broken or bowed, the movement of the bolt inward heilig also slight and the door being retained in latched? position, with the bolt in engagement with its keeper.

The door being moved to open, and the flat face of the keeper engaging the fiat face of the bolt, the bolt will be pressed inwardly or retracted within its casing and the toggle completely bowed. as shown in dotted lines, i

F ig. 3.

The door being opened, the toggle levers and the bolt will at once be returned to normal position by the action of the spring, said spring also returning the rod 15 and its push button connection to normal position.

The door being now closed, the inner beveled portion 2G of the keeper spring will contact with the outer beveled face of the bolt, and the-keeper spring moving laterally or inwardly in the slot 2i of the door, the bolt will again become seated in the recess formed by the flat face and the beveled face of the keeper.

I claim:

1. In a door latch, a movable door memlier and a stationary jainb member, a bolt,

means including a movable element for nor- .bolt rigidly in projected position, hand-operated means for moving said element to released position, and a spring coperating with and directly engaging said element for holding the bolt yieldably in rojected position when said element is re eased, for returning said element to normal position, and for returning said hand-operated means to normal position.

3. In a door latch, a bolt, means for holding said bolt rigidly in projected position, including normally alined toggle levers one of which is pivot-ally engaged at its outer end with said bolt, hand-operated means for bowing said levers upon their 'Konter pivots as centers, and a spring coperating with said toggle levers for holding the bolt yieldably in projected position when said toggle levers are bowed, for returning said toggle levers to normal position and for returning said hand-operated means to normal position.

4. In a door latch, a bolt, means for hold- .ing said bolt' rigidly in projected position, including normally alined toggle levers one of which is pivotally engaged at its outer ond with said bolt, :i laterally movable member having at one end a fulcrum bearing and at its other end a push button connection for bowing said levers upon their outer pivots as centers, and a spring coperating with said toggle levers1 for holding the bolt yieldably in projected position when said toggle levers are bowed, lor returning said toggle levers to normal position and for returning said lever and push button to normal position.

5. In a door latch, a bolt, means for holding` said bolt rigidly in projected position, including normally alined toggle levers one of which is pivotally engaged at its outer end with said bolt, hand-operated means for bowing said levers upon their outer pivots as centers, including a. laterally movable member having at one end a fulcrum bearing, anda push button having a pivotal member fast thereto and at one end having pivotal connection with the other end of said laterally movable member, and a spring cooperating With said toggle levers for holding the bolt yieldahly in projected position when said toggle levers are bowed, for returning said toggle levers to normal position and for returning said hand-operated means to normal position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. WELLS` Witnesses:

LENA J. BROWN, DAVID J. CORMAGK. 

